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* the glass factory. *
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**** ****
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&£*†»:.... several centuries after it had last ....:»†*£&
@&£*†»:... belonged to us, we went on an outing to ...:»†*£&@
@@&£*†»:.. the glass factory that bore our family ..:»†*£&@@
#@@&£*†»:. name. it had changed owners many times .:»†*£&@@#
@@&£*†»:.. since our ancestors death, and then ..:»†*£&@@
@&£*†»:... stood abandoned for a long while. ...:»†*£&@
&£*†»:.... finally, the natural end station for ....:»†*£&
£*†»:..... the buildings that survive: a museum, .....:»†*£
*†»:...... and a gift shop. ......:»†*
£*†»:..... .....:»†*£
&£*†»:.... there's a long time since my family ....:»†*£&
@&£*†»:... made anything. by many, we would be ...:»†*£&@
@@&£*†»:.. considered poor. ..:»†*£&@@
#@@&£*†»:. .:»†*£&@@#
@@&£*†»:.. there are two main factory buildings, ..:»†*£&@@
@&£*†»:... domed things of several floors, made in ...:»†*£&@
&£*†»:.... yellow brick. large but narrow windows, ....:»†*£&
£*†»:..... reminescent of some cathedral. .....:»†*£
*†»:...... custom-made glass, of course, large and ......:»†*
£*†»:..... leaded, and ashen. a bit too dark to be .....:»†*£
&£*†»:.... practical. on the eastern building, ....:»†*£&
@&£*†»:... some are shattered. ...:»†*£&@
@@&£*†»:.. ..:»†*£&@@
#@@&£*†»:. the other one is publicly open. there's .:»†*£&@@#
@@&£*†»:.. a museum, with wax figures of my great ..:»†*£&@@
@&£*†»:... great great grandfather, or something. ...:»†*£&@
&£*†»:.... various tools (or replicas) laid out on ....:»†*£&
£*†»:..... tables, with explaining texts. a lot of .....:»†*£
*†»:...... glass of varying thickness. ......:»†*
£*†»:..... .....:»†*£
&£*†»:.... ** ....:»†*£&
@&£*†»:... ** ** ...:»†*£&@
@@&£*†»:.. »»»»»»» * * »»»»»»» ..:»†*£&@@
#@@&£*†»:. ** ** .:»†*£&@@#
@@&£*†»:.. ** ..:»†*£&@@
@&£*†»:... ...:»†*£&@
&£*†»:.... i quickly sneak out, and climb into the ....:»†*£&
£*†»:..... other building. the contrast is .....:»†*£
*†»:...... overwhelming. it must have stood ......:»†*
£*†»:..... derelict for a long time, windows .....:»†*£
&£*†»:.... broken, metallic trash and pools of ....:»†*£&
@&£*†»:... dark glass all over the floor. no ...:»†*£&@
@@&£*†»:.. electric lights, but i can see by the ..:»†*£&@@
#@@&£*†»:. light that shines in wherever the dark .:»†*£&@@#
@@&£*†»:.. windows are missing a pane. ..:»†*£&@@
@&£*†»:... ...:»†*£&@
&£*†»:.... however, the greatest difference is the ....:»†*£&
£*†»:..... higher floors: this building has none. .....:»†*£
*†»:...... it is one massive hall, stretching away ......:»†*
£*†»:..... infinitely above me. somewhere up there .....:»†*£
&£*†»:.... is some great iron latticework, from ....:»†*£&
@&£*†»:... where chains are suspended, and parts ...:»†*£&@
@@&£*†»:.. of machinery has been falling down. ..:»†*£&@@
#@@&£*†»:. .:»†*£&@@#
@@&£*†»:.. there is, in the middle of the great ..:»†*£&@@
@&£*†»:... hall, a thin spiral staircase that ...:»†*£&@
&£*†»:.... leads up there. i sneak over there, and ....:»†*£&
£*†»:..... take a few reluctant steps. after just .....:»†*£
*†»:...... a revolution, i notice that for each ......:»†*
£*†»:..... step the building starts to glow, the .....:»†*£
&£*†»:.... bricks turning a dark red, and then ....:»†*£&
@&£*†»:... orange, all the piled up debree being ...:»†*£&@
@@&£*†»:.. lit from behind. ..:»†*£&@@
#@@&£*†»:. .:»†*£&@@#
@@&£*†»:.. i stop ready to run down and out, but ..:»†*£&@@
@&£*†»:... there's someone else on the staircase ...:»†*£&@
&£*†»:.... with me now, pressed close. he's ....:»†*£&
£*†»:..... looking like me, short hair and thin .....:»†*£
*†»:...... arms, but with ears from some animal, ......:»†*
£*†»:..... and more disturbingly, completely made .....:»†*£
&£*†»:.... of dark liquid glass. ....:»†*£&
@&£*†»:... ...:»†*£&@
@@&£*†»:.. ** ..:»†*£&@@
#@@&£*†»:. ** ** .:»†*£&@@#
@@&£*†»:.. »»»»»»» * * »»»»»»» ..:»†*£&@@
@&£*†»:... ** ** ...:»†*£&@
&£*†»:.... ** ....:»†*£&
£*†»:..... .....:»†*£
*†»:...... my fear holds me in place while he ......:»†*
£*†»:..... starts operating levers and dials set .....:»†*£
&£*†»:.... in the center of the staircase. slowly, ....:»†*£&
@&£*†»:... it starts spinning, circling upwards. ...:»†*£&@
@@&£*†»:.. it's an elevator! i start to run ..:»†*£&@@
#@@&£*†»:. downwards, but now the liquid boy .:»†*£&@@#
@@&£*†»:.. creature grabs hold of me. i try to ..:»†*£&@@
@&£*†»:... shake him off, but he's too strong, and ...:»†*£&@
&£*†»:.... pulls me back up beside him. ....:»†*£&
£*†»:..... .....:»†*£
*†»:...... this time, i turn angry instead. what ......:»†*
£*†»:..... the hell? who is this guy, acting like .....:»†*£
&£*†»:.... this? i reach out my free arm and slam ....:»†*£&
@&£*†»:... a random lever. some metal bar is ...:»†*£&@
@@&£*†»:.. suddenly released between us, hitting ..:»†*£&@@
#@@&£*†»:. him on the arm, forcing my release. i .:»†*£&@@#
@@&£*†»:.. shove him off of me, and he falls into ..:»†*£&@@
@&£*†»:... the levers, messing them up. ...:»†*£&@
&£*†»:.... immediately, a thin rusty chainmail ....:»†*£&
£*†»:..... curtain is dropped around me. but the .....:»†*£
*†»:...... elevator also speeds up significantly. ......:»†*
£*†»:..... .....:»†*£
&£*†»:.... the walls are flaring now, yellow, ....:»†*£&
@&£*†»:... white, almost blue. i close my eyes and ...:»†*£&@
@@&£*†»:.. curl into a ball. but then, the glass ..:»†*£&@@
#@@&£*†»:. boy screams, a piercing sound that .:»†*£&@@#
@@&£*†»:.. forces my eyes back open. i watch as he ..:»†*£&@@
@&£*†»:... becomes too liquid, his body pooling ...:»†*£&@
&£*†»:.... down in his now massive tail, and the ....:»†*£&
£*†»:..... tip of it suddenly breaks of in a glass .....:»†*£
*†»:...... drop that falls toward the factory ......:»†*
£*†»:..... floor. .....:»†*£
&£*†»:.... ....:»†*£&
@&£*†»:... he's crawling on the stairs, unable to ...:»†*£&@
@@&£*†»:.. keep his body upright. can't reach the ..:»†*£&@@
#@@&£*†»:. levers, claws at my chainmail cage, .:»†*£&@@#
@@&£*†»:.. while his body is turning into dark ..:»†*£&@@
@&£*†»:... pearls. finally, he's lost too much of ...:»†*£&@
&£*†»:.... himself and the scream is cut short. ....:»†*£&
£*†»:..... the last of him rains down. .....:»†*£
*†»:...... ......:»†*
£*†»:..... i still can't reach the levers from .....:»†*£
&£*†»:.... within my cage. looking up, i try to ....:»†*£&
@&£*†»:... make out the ceiling, but it's all a ...:»†*£&@
@@&£*†»:.. whirling sea of colours. below me glows ..:»†*£&@@
#@@&£*†»:. the hellfire of the factory walls, but .:»†*£&@@#
@@&£*†»:.. very faint. i sit down, curl back up, ..:»†*£&@@
@&£*†»:... become still. ...:»†*£&@
&£*†»:.... ....:»†*£&
£*†»:..... ** .....:»†*£
*†»:...... ** ** ......:»†*
£*†»:..... »»»»»»» * * »»»»»»» .....:»†*£
&£*†»:.... ** ** ....:»†*£&
@&£*†»:... ** ...:»†*£&@
@@&£*†»:.. ..:»†*£&@@
#@@&£*†»:. a large clunk shakes my entire body, .:»†*£&@@#
@@&£*†»:.. and snaps me back into reality. i'm ..:»†*£&@@
@&£*†»:... back at the factory floor, but the ...:»†*£&@
&£*†»:.... stairs are still moving slightly, ....:»†*£&
£*†»:..... clicking in place, carrying me the last .....:»†*£
*†»:...... few centimeters. i came from below, ......:»†*
£*†»:..... somehow. the chainmail is retracted, .....:»†*£
&£*†»:.... and i slowly dismount the stairs. ....:»†*£&
@&£*†»:... ...:»†*£&@
@@&£*†»:.. shaking and crying, i make my way over ..:»†*£&@@
#@@&£*†»:. the factory floor, wading through dark .:»†*£&@@#
@@&£*†»:.. glass marbles. a quick glance down, and ..:»†*£&@@
@&£*†»:... i see there's something faint inside ...:»†*£&@
&£*†»:.... them. embryos? are these eggs? ....:»†*£&
£*†»:..... .....:»†*£
*†»:...... i shudder, and climb back out. ......:»†*
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